Amici Pinot Noir Reserve 2021
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James
Suckling - Vinous
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Elegant from start to finish, the wine offers rich aromas of black cherry cola, Asian spices, and orange peel. Flavors of pomegranate, cranberry, and dark chocolate lead to dark black cherry notes that are framed with silky tannins throughout the long finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Complex aromas of blackberries, black cherries, ripe strawberries and hints of flowers. Orange peel and leaves. Full-bodied with a tight tannic frame and a horizontally driven finish. Excellent length. Drinkable, but give it time to open.
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Vinous
The 2021 Pinot Noir Reserve is a soft, juicy wine to drink now and over the next few years. Bright red/purplish fruit, lavender, spice and a touch of whole cluster savoriness lend gorgeous nuance throughout. There's terrific purity here, and fine balance that make this silky Pinot hugely appealing. Barrel Sample: (90-92)
Other Vintages
2019-
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck
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Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
James
Suckling
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Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck
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Wine
Enthusiast
Over thirty years in the making, Amici Cellars is a blend of the old and the new. Preserving its legacy and producing wines of exceptional character is the unwavering commitment of proprietors John Harris and Bob Shepard, who attribute success in large part to the age-old adage “nothing replaces hard work,” but also their intuition and ability to capture the most significant opportunity in a decisive moment.
The turning point was 2009, when after more than 15 years of making wine as a passion project with modest distribution, the two friends fully committed to taking their adventure and turning it into a prestigious Napa Valley winemaking estate. The United States was facing the biggest economic downturn since the 1930s, costly Cabernets no longer flying off shelves, but John and Bob have always trusted in their intuition and a core belief - bottle beautiful, high quality wines that are accessible to enjoy every day and for age-worthy collections.
They have decidedly chosen a talented team, seasoned winemaker Tony Biagi, a Napa Valley veteran with more than 25-years-experience, and associate winemaker Dante West, a rising star whose energy matches his true-to-varietal wines. Together they bring decades of relationships with outstanding growers in the field that, combined with their craftsmanship, creates the best possible capsule of each vineyard site, a combination of the soil, climate and people who farm it.
While the Russian River Valley is a large appellation with multiple climate zones and soil types, it is best known for cool-climate varieties, with Pinot Noir as the most celebrated. The grapes benefit from a reliable late afternoon flow of Pacific Ocean fog through the Petaluma Gap and along the Russian River Valley that ensures slow and steady ripening and the preservation of grape acidity. Today many of California’s most highly regarded Pinot Noir vineyards are in the Russian River Valley, along with its sub-appellation, Green Valley.
Historically Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs had bright red fruit and delicate earthy, mineral notes. But changes in viticultural and winemaking practices have led to stylistic changes in some of the region’s wines. Adjustments to canopy management, among other techniques, have resulted in riper fruit and bolder wines as well. These show flavors of black cherry, blackberry, cola, spice and darker, loamy earth tones, accenting traditional Pinot Noir notes of strawberry, raspberry and light cherry.